Seven Republican candidates took part in the first New Hampshire Republican presidential debate Monday night on CNN. Read the live blog below. Follow all the issues and campaign news about the debate on CNNPolitics.com and @cnnpolitics on Twitter. Watch the debate on CNN TV, CNN.com and mobile devices.
Read the full story here.
Read the results of the Political Insiders Poll taken during the debate here.
10:01 p.m. ET - @PeterHambyCNN: aaaand Romney escapes unharmed. Win.

9:58 p.m. ET - Paul: I'd have ask more questions for them, said they haven't even told him how they feel about the Federal Reserve, a reference to his repeated calls to abolish the Reserve.

9:58 p.m. ET - Bachmann: Maybe have an American Idol-style contest.

9:57 p.m. ET - Q: Which person on this stage would you ask to join your administration?

9:57 p.m. ET - Romney: Everyone on this stage would be a better president than Obama.
9:56 p.m. ET - Pawlenty: Palin is qualified to be president and would have made a better vice president that Joe Biden, who has been wrong on everything.
9:56 p.m. ET - Q: Who made the better vice presidential choice in the 2008 campaign?9:55 p.m. ET - Cain: People don't know us yet, don't see this as a weak field.

9:54 p.m. ET - Q: Should pay attention to polls that show low enthusiasm for the GOP primary?

9:51 p.m. ET - Santorum: Dealing with a failure of the Obama administration- have no strategy to confront our enemies. Need bases to be nimble and attack when we're attacked. Obama has embraced our enemies.
9:49 p.m. ET - Q from voter: Shut down military bases that aren't vital to national security to pay off national debt?

9:48 p.m. ET - Cain: Need to understand the problem, which we did not in Libya and make sure it's in our national interests to be involved.

9:47 p.m. ET - Gingrich: U.S. intelligence is inadequate. Need to reassess strategy in the region, figure out how to get out as soon as possible. Need to find new and different strategies.

9:46 p.m. ET - Bachmann: Not in the interests of America to be involved in Libya. The president was wrong, he deferred leadership in Libya to France, "That's all we need to know."

9:43 p.m. ET - Paul: Wouldn't wait for the generals. "I tell the generals what to do [as president]." Would bring the troops home as soon as possible.
9:42 p.m. ET - Romney: Time to bring them home as fast as we can in a plan supported by our military, based on the conditions on the ground. Only the Afghans can win independence from the Taliban.

9:41 p.m. ET - Q from voter: Time to bring our combat troops home from Afghanistan?

9:38 p.m. ET - Pawlenty: Coke.

9:38 p.m. ET - Q to Pawlenty: Coke or Pepsi?

9:37 p.m. ET - Santorum: Voted against ethanol subsidies while in the Senate. Said the industry has come a long way and is capable of doing well under the Senate plan.

9:36 p.m. ET - Romney: Don't believe government should take land from private companies. Need to develop our own energy independence.

9:34 p.m. ET - Q: Should governments be allowed to seize private land for major projects to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil?
9:33 p.m. ET - Gingrich: Will never pass comprehensive bill. Need to control the border, take half of the Homeland Security Department and put them in border states to protect the U.S.

9:31 p.m. ET - Pawlenty: Let the states protect their borders if the federal government won't.

9:30 p.m. ET - Cain: Secure our borders and enforce laws that are already there. Promote path to citizenship by cleaning up the bureaucracy. For the illegals that are already in the U.S.- empower the states to do what federal government can't do.
9:29 p.m. ET - Paul: Need to protect our borders instead of the borders between Iraq and Afghanistan.

9:28 p.m. ET - Santorum: We should not be offering government benefits to those who entered the U.S. illegally.

9:27 p.m. ET - Q from voter: What is your plan for preventing illegal immigrants from using U.S. services?

9:11 p.m. ET - Gingrich: Would need to be loyal to the U.S. to serve in his administration. "There are some genuinely bad people."

9:10 p.m. ET - Cain: The question I was asked was would you be comfortable with a Muslim in your administration. Said there is a difference between peaceful and militant Muslims. Would interview the person to get a sense of how committed they are to the constitution, said it's not a litmus test. People who work for the government should be committed to the constitution.

9:09 p.m. ET - Q to Cain: Are American Muslims less committed to the constitution than Christians or Jews?

9:07 p.m. ET - Paul: Congress should never prohibit the expression of your faith in a public place.

9:06 p.m. ET - Santorum: I approach issues with faith and reason.

9:06 p.m. ET - Q: Separation of church and state?

9:04 p.m. ET - Bachmann: Already voted "no" on raising the debt ceiling, will vote against it unless there are major cuts in spending. "Clearly President Obama has failed in leadership," cites increase in the national debt.
9:03 p.m. ET - Romney: Cannot afford to raise the debt ceiling. "At some point you hit a wall," criticized the president for his leadership.

9:02 p.m. ET - Q: Will Congress raise the debt ceiling?

9:02 p.m. ET - Cain: "I don't have to raise the retirement age," said he will restructure the program.

8:58 p.m. ET - Gingrich: There are things that I would have done differently than Ryan.

8:57 p.m. ET - Q: Why did you back down on charge that Ryan budget plan is a step backward?
8:55 p.m. ET - Pawlenty: If you're in the program we should keep our word. Said it is not financially solvent. His plan, he said will include more options for people.

8:54 p.m. ET - Paul: "It can't be be made solvent." We need competition and the opportunity to opt-out of the system to take care of ourselves.

8:31 p.m. ET - Pawlenty, Gingrich and Cain: All said they hope states accept right to work to create more jobs.

8:30 p.m. ET - Q: Where do you fall on right to work?

8:27 p.m. ET - Bachmann: We need to bring the tax rate down in the U.S. Then criticized Democrats for big spending plans and said Republicans need to pass a big repeal bill, including the de-funding of the EPA.

8:26 p.m. ET - Pawlenty: The U.S. needs fair trade. Said taxes are too high and permitting is too slow for businesses.

8:26 p.m. ET - Paul: "We should invite capital back." Said the country needs to "deregulate" and "de-tax" to prevent jobs from going overseas.

8:25 p.m. ET - Q: How will you keep manufacturing jobs in America?

8:23 p.m. ET - Cain: He will be a president that will "do what's right, not what's politically right." His experiences in the business world, he said, are the same skills that will make him an effective president.

8:22 p.m. ET - Bachmann: Defended the Tea Party as a "wide swath of America coming together. I think that's why the left fears it so much." Said all Republicans need to come together.

8:21 p.m. ET - Santorum: Touted his past in Senate, said he brought people together. "I led and got bipartisan support to do it." When asked about the Tea Party, he said the "Tea Party is a great backstop for America."

8:20 p.m. ET - Q from voter: Will you have a balanced approach to governing?

8:18 p.m. ET - Gingrich: The country should not have a health care mandate. Also said it's important the 2012 election includes wins in the House and Senate.

8:16 p.m. ET - Pawlenty: The plan he instituted in Minnesota is different than the plan in Massachusetts, including the absence of an individual mandate. Would not directly attack Romney calling the national plan "Obamneycare," like he did over the weekend.

"President Obama is - is the person who I quoted in saying he looked to Massachusetts for designing his program. He's the one who said it's a blueprint and that he merged the two programs. And so using the term 'Obamneycare' was a reflection of the president's comments that he designed Obamacare on the Massachusetts health care plan," Pawlenty said.

8:15 p.m. ET - Romney: Will de-fund "Obamacare," and outlined the differences between the president's plan and the plan he instituted as governor of Massachusetts.

8:14 p.m. ET - Bachmann: "Obamacare" is a job killer that she will end as president.

8:13 p.m. ET - Q: What would you do to de-fund "Obamacare" and repeal it as soon as possible?
8:12 p.m. ET - Texas Rep. Ron Paul: Criticized job creation in the U.S., said it's because people don't understand growth.

8:12 p.m. ET - Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann: Announced she filed her papers to officially run for president of the United States.

8:08 p.m. ET - Former Minnesota Gov. Rick Santorum: This president is a "declinist." Defended his 5% growth target that includes a reduction in spending.

8:07 p.m. ET - Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum: We need a pro-growth agenda. Criticized the president over health care and his energy policy.

8:01 p.m. ET - The candidates introduced themselves in a few sentences at the beginning of the debate. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the Republican candidate needs to save the country from the "Obama depression." Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said he hopes he "gets it right this time," a reference to his 2008 White House bid.

6:34 p.m. ET - When asked on CNN's "The Situation Room" about the potential of Texas Gov. Rick Perry jumping into the 2012 race, former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said "Clearly there's a vacuum in the Republican Party." He then pointed to the "least impressive" records of Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty.
6:32 p.m. ET - @stevebruskCNN: Newt Gingrich talks to reporters as he arrives for CNN debate http://yfrog.com/kh2v9zj
6:22 p.m. ET - @PeterHambyCNN: Man of the hour just arrived. Wearing jeans, of course. Mitt said he's feeling "terrific." http://yfrog.com/kkkmawj

soundoff(991 Responses)

Joe

You have five out of six people, on that stage who have or are currently participating in government leadership. Please tell me why no body has spoken the truth about where the fiscal crisis started? Last time I checked when we last had a democratic president in the white house, he left it with a budget surplus. When our current President entered into the white house he was handled a fiscal mess. It sounds to me that none of these folks have the ability to do anything more than make the situation worst.

Q: When will the Federal Education Department be shut down and put the education system in the hands of the states? When will we start making the students and parents responsible for their sons or daughters education and not place it all on the teachers? There are just to many mandates that are unfunded that need to be repealed.

June 13, 2011 09:08 pm at 9:08 pm |

Mike P

I want to know what the candidates say to those who characterize the GOP in the following way: as being for "small government" until they get to abortion and gay rights; Against subsidies unless it's to "provide financial incentives to private companies" to explore space; For fiscal discipline until the richest 1% of Americans need an added tax cut; For bringing new jobs to American but not protecting the needs and rights of those workers in the face of corporate profits; Or given the recent Weiner scandal, the GOP claim for personal responsibility and family values until it comes to calling for the resignations of their own party members Vitter and Ensign who actually broke the law?

June 13, 2011 09:08 pm at 9:08 pm |

Frank Stein

Rebeca – subsidies is what Ron Paul is talking about. Addressing taxes is different than giving tax money to a company

June 13, 2011 09:08 pm at 9:08 pm |

CW

Why are Tea Party Republicans cutting the budgets of Federal Offices of Inspectors General who generally recoup 3 to 10 times their annual operating costs through (audit) cost avoidance and criminal, civil, and administrative judgments? Does this demonstrate a lack of understanding in government operations or common sense?

June 13, 2011 09:08 pm at 9:08 pm |

Frank Stein

Which candidate is willing to get the U.S. out of the UN and NATO?

June 13, 2011 09:09 pm at 9:09 pm |

David Hunsaker

Republicans are supposed to be in favor of small government....how would you decrease this HUGE government ? What would you cut and why???

June 13, 2011 09:09 pm at 9:09 pm |

Brian

What are the candidates opinions on whether or not to withdraw troops from Afghanistan?

June 13, 2011 09:09 pm at 9:09 pm |

Michael Maier

Admiral Mullen responded to the Obama administration's call for reducing the DoD budget by $400 billion by FY2023, saying that it will force the DoD find ways to cut the cost of pay and benefits for servicemembers - active, reserve, and retirees. (Story out of Military.com) What would be your approach to the DoD budget?

June 13, 2011 09:09 pm at 9:09 pm |

Wasted1

An an independent, I support Michele Bachmann as a viable candidate. In spite of being concerned about statements attributed to her, a cursory review of her life reveals a remarkable woman that shouldn't be trivialized.

June 13, 2011 09:09 pm at 9:09 pm |

Dannn

Ron Paul is owning this

June 13, 2011 09:09 pm at 9:09 pm |

Chicago

Lincoln built the Union Pacific and Central Pacific rail system in a public private partnership. This PPP relied on enormous government land grants to the railroad companies, Congress supported government bonds, and military eradication of Native Americans to “tame the West”. Lincoln gave a lot to get a lot.
We heard a question earlier about the US space program and NASA “failures”. As President, what would you be willing to “give” to get the US back into space? Please address the international treaties that prevent giving away of earth orbits, parcels on the moon, and other celestial bodies.

June 13, 2011 09:09 pm at 9:09 pm |

Gregory Bruce

If government is so bad and you don't like it why are you trying so hard to get into government. Please note that the GOP has had the control of the Presidency for at least 20 of the last 28 years and their policies has got us here. So why should we trust you now?

June 13, 2011 09:10 pm at 9:10 pm |

shamgar50

Wasn’t it the private sector that helped get us into this mess? Didn’t W cut taxes, and then do nothing for the economy after 9/11, except trying to push more tax cuts, and telling people to spend?

Mr. Cain, why do you feel that the Fair Tax would answer so many of America's fiscal ills?

June 13, 2011 09:10 pm at 9:10 pm |

Frank Stein

As president will you support the UN small arms treaty? This treaty takes away our sovereignty in keeping the 2nd ammendment.

June 13, 2011 09:10 pm at 9:10 pm |

Anthony

Why isn't Gary Johnson in this GOP debate? This is terrible exclusion by CNN as Former Gov. Johnson is a serious, experienced and highly qualified candidate. If candidates such as Cain and Gingrinch are included then Johnson should also be on that stage as well. Paul/Johnson should be on the same ticket!

June 13, 2011 09:10 pm at 9:10 pm |

william jensen

The Global Commission on Drug Policy issued findings that "the war on drugs" is not only not working, but is a waste of billions of dollars. They suggest that it is time to legalize marijuana. With the tax and regulate laws in Oakland Ca. working to boost their economy, who would look to do so on a national level?

June 13, 2011 09:10 pm at 9:10 pm |

Gregg Macdonald

Comment on president Obama's disregarding the war powers act regarding Libya
And how that would impact future military actions

June 13, 2011 09:11 pm at 9:11 pm |

Rebecca Adcock

Mr paul, do you believe freedom of religous expression is reserved for Christians?

June 13, 2011 09:11 pm at 9:11 pm |

James

I am still waiting for anyone on the stand to actually answer a question!

June 13, 2011 09:11 pm at 9:11 pm |

FChu

Someone ask these folks if they are willing to take a 20% cut of their benefits to help the economy. How about we eliminate the health care of the senators and congressme and women, and replace it with Ryan Paul's proposals

June 13, 2011 09:11 pm at 9:11 pm |

Eric

Wow, what a waste! I just read through the blog, and there wasn't a single surprise. Republicans are all too predictable, and I predict, that if any of these imbeciles are elected president, the economy will get worse, not better.